Converting monsters from Dungeon Magazine
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Ooops, right then. Gentlemen, BEHOLD!
Draknor
Climate/Terrain: Special
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Heat/Carnivore
Intelligence: High (13-14), but special
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: -7/-1/2
Movement: Nil
Hit Dice: 20 (this specimen has 146 hp)
THACO: 5
No. Of Attacks: 2 claws, 4 tentacles
Damage/Attack: 3-18/3-18/2-8/2-8/2-8/2-8
Special Attacks: Earthquakes, constriction, breath weapon, swallow whole
Special Defenses: Hit only by +2 or better weapons; weapon and spell immunities; regeneration
Magic Resistance: 60%
Size: G (55' across)
MOrale: Fearless (20)
XP Value: 26,000
Draknor are very rarely encountered on the Prime Material plane. These creatures go through three distinct stages of growth: egg, larva, and adult. The statistics above represent a draknor in its larval stage only; the DM must invent statistics for the mature form of a draknor if one is encountered.
In the larval stage, a draknor is 55' wide, 40' long, and about 25' high, not
including the several dozen feeding tendrils that trail beneath. These tendrils can reach amazing lengths, up to a mile long at times. A draknor larva cannot move from its lair and thus has no movement rate. Its feeding tendrils, however, can slither like snakes at a movement rate of 15 and can burrow through solid rock at a movement rate of 9. This burrowing is achieved by melting the stone with the draknor's intense heat.
The draknor supports itself with 12 rock-hard extensions that attach to nearby cave walls. Two reptilian claws protrude from the monster's front, and four large tentacles adorn its back. A draknor's body is made up of two distinct shells. A 6" gap between the upper and lower shells sports dozens of stalked eyes and sensory organs.
Although the draknor has high intelligence, its thought processes are totally alien to anything else in existence.
COMBAT: Draknor in their larval stage of growth are powerful entitites indeed. A draknor's shell is the consistency of stone; attacks against its main body, suport tentacles, or lizardlike arms and claws are against AC -7. Its four dorsal tentacles are somewhat softer; they have an armor class of -1. It is the draknor's feeding tendrils and the gap between its two shells that are the softest; here the draknor is only AC 2.
A draknor attacks six times a round in melee combat. Two attacks are with its claws, while the other four are with its dorsal tentacles. If a tentacle hits, it constricts its target for 2-12 hp damage per round, with no to-hit roll necessary in subsequent rounds. Breaking free requires a strength of at least 22 or the severing of the tentacle. Each tentacle has 30 hp in addition to the body's total. Instead of constricting a target, or if its claws hit a being of size L or smaller with a number four or more over the number needed to hit, the draknor pops the victim into its mouth. Swallowed PCs take 10-100 hp damage per round due to both acid and heat, and can escape only by doing 50 hp damage to the draknor's interior, which is AC 2. If this is done, the victim is spit up immediately.
A draknor is hit only by +2 or better weaponry. It is immune to poison and
lightning, and takes half damage from acid. Cold causes double damage. Fire and heat heal the draknor for a number of hit points equal to the attack's normal damage, up to the creature's maximum hit points.
A draknor cannot be magically controlled and, since its thought processes are so alien, it is immune to all forms of mental attack. Treat it as if it had a 25 wisdom on Table 5, page 17 of the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. It is immune to and reflects mind blast as well.
The 30 tendrils that trail under the draknor's body tap into heat reserves (usually pools of magma, but any continual source of great heat will do). Each tendril takes 10 hp damage to sever. If all the tendrils are severed, the draknor will no longer have a method of consuming heat and will die of starvation in about two weeks. As long as at least one of the tentacles is even partially intact, the draknor will regenerate all damage at the rate of 3 hp per round. For every 10 tentacles severed, the number of hit points regenerated per round decreases by one.
A draknor has two ways to attack assailants at long range. First, it can send a burrowing tentacle through the rocky ground under a target, causing a minor, localized earthquake that knocks teh target down on a successful hit. The victim must also save vs. paralyzation or be stunned for 2-5 rounds. The draknor can attack up to three targets per round in this fashion.
Second, in any round that it is not swallowing something, a draknor can choose to forego its regeneration and spew the heat from its mouth at any one target. This heat takes the form of a ruby-red ray that is 1' wide and up to 200' long. If this attack hits, the target must save vs. breath weapon or take 5-60 (5d12) hp damage (half damage if the save is made). Although the draknor is not damaged by its own heat ray, neither can it heal itself by striking itself with this ray.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: A draknor spends the first part of its life on the Prime Material plane. It is not known how draknor eggs arrive here, but it may be inferred that an adult draknor travels to this plane to place its eggs in secluded spots. In its egg form, a draknor is defenseless, but it soon hatches into the larval form and begins to search for food. Draknor are never encountered except singly and are always found underground. Once fully grown, the draknor migrates to the para-elemental plane of Magma to live out the rest of its life. Not much is known about adult draknor, as they have never been seen on this plane. These adults are certain to be much more powerful than their larvae, although exact details are up to the individual DM.
ECOLOGY: The draknor begins life as a 2 ft.-long egg with no forms of attack or defense. The egg has an armor class of 8 and can be destroyed very quickly and safely. After a year of growth, the egg has expanded to a length of 20' and is ready to hatch.
To grow to adulthood, the draknor larva that emerges from the egg must find a source of continual heat within two weeks or it will die. To accomplish this, the immobile draknor uses a set of 30 burrowing tentacles that snake through the ground to find pockets of molten rock. Once this magma is located, the draknor begins to grow again, gaining 1 hp every other day (starting with a total of 100). As soon as it reaches a total of 160 hp, the draknor is mature and migrates to the para-elemental plane of Magma. The great vortex of energy created by its leaving usually transforms the area into a flaming volcanic region.
Although draknor are highly intelligent, they cannot (or choose not to) communicate with other life forms. Due to their destructive life cycles, they are hunted down as soon as their presence becomes known. Although draknor eat mainly heat, they are capable of digesting both organic and inorganic substances. Just how these substances are used in draknor metabolism is not clear, although many sages hypothesize that the draknor gain both their intelligence and sensory faculties from these sources.
Source: Dungeon Magazine #24, "Thunder Under Needlespire", James Jacobs, p. 59-60.
Draknor
Climate/Terrain: Special
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Heat/Carnivore
Intelligence: High (13-14), but special
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: -7/-1/2
Movement: Nil
Hit Dice: 20 (this specimen has 146 hp)
THACO: 5
No. Of Attacks: 2 claws, 4 tentacles
Damage/Attack: 3-18/3-18/2-8/2-8/2-8/2-8
Special Attacks: Earthquakes, constriction, breath weapon, swallow whole
Special Defenses: Hit only by +2 or better weapons; weapon and spell immunities; regeneration
Magic Resistance: 60%
Size: G (55' across)
MOrale: Fearless (20)
XP Value: 26,000
Draknor are very rarely encountered on the Prime Material plane. These creatures go through three distinct stages of growth: egg, larva, and adult. The statistics above represent a draknor in its larval stage only; the DM must invent statistics for the mature form of a draknor if one is encountered.
In the larval stage, a draknor is 55' wide, 40' long, and about 25' high, not
including the several dozen feeding tendrils that trail beneath. These tendrils can reach amazing lengths, up to a mile long at times. A draknor larva cannot move from its lair and thus has no movement rate. Its feeding tendrils, however, can slither like snakes at a movement rate of 15 and can burrow through solid rock at a movement rate of 9. This burrowing is achieved by melting the stone with the draknor's intense heat.
The draknor supports itself with 12 rock-hard extensions that attach to nearby cave walls. Two reptilian claws protrude from the monster's front, and four large tentacles adorn its back. A draknor's body is made up of two distinct shells. A 6" gap between the upper and lower shells sports dozens of stalked eyes and sensory organs.
Although the draknor has high intelligence, its thought processes are totally alien to anything else in existence.
COMBAT: Draknor in their larval stage of growth are powerful entitites indeed. A draknor's shell is the consistency of stone; attacks against its main body, suport tentacles, or lizardlike arms and claws are against AC -7. Its four dorsal tentacles are somewhat softer; they have an armor class of -1. It is the draknor's feeding tendrils and the gap between its two shells that are the softest; here the draknor is only AC 2.
A draknor attacks six times a round in melee combat. Two attacks are with its claws, while the other four are with its dorsal tentacles. If a tentacle hits, it constricts its target for 2-12 hp damage per round, with no to-hit roll necessary in subsequent rounds. Breaking free requires a strength of at least 22 or the severing of the tentacle. Each tentacle has 30 hp in addition to the body's total. Instead of constricting a target, or if its claws hit a being of size L or smaller with a number four or more over the number needed to hit, the draknor pops the victim into its mouth. Swallowed PCs take 10-100 hp damage per round due to both acid and heat, and can escape only by doing 50 hp damage to the draknor's interior, which is AC 2. If this is done, the victim is spit up immediately.
A draknor is hit only by +2 or better weaponry. It is immune to poison and
lightning, and takes half damage from acid. Cold causes double damage. Fire and heat heal the draknor for a number of hit points equal to the attack's normal damage, up to the creature's maximum hit points.
A draknor cannot be magically controlled and, since its thought processes are so alien, it is immune to all forms of mental attack. Treat it as if it had a 25 wisdom on Table 5, page 17 of the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. It is immune to and reflects mind blast as well.
The 30 tendrils that trail under the draknor's body tap into heat reserves (usually pools of magma, but any continual source of great heat will do). Each tendril takes 10 hp damage to sever. If all the tendrils are severed, the draknor will no longer have a method of consuming heat and will die of starvation in about two weeks. As long as at least one of the tentacles is even partially intact, the draknor will regenerate all damage at the rate of 3 hp per round. For every 10 tentacles severed, the number of hit points regenerated per round decreases by one.
A draknor has two ways to attack assailants at long range. First, it can send a burrowing tentacle through the rocky ground under a target, causing a minor, localized earthquake that knocks teh target down on a successful hit. The victim must also save vs. paralyzation or be stunned for 2-5 rounds. The draknor can attack up to three targets per round in this fashion.
Second, in any round that it is not swallowing something, a draknor can choose to forego its regeneration and spew the heat from its mouth at any one target. This heat takes the form of a ruby-red ray that is 1' wide and up to 200' long. If this attack hits, the target must save vs. breath weapon or take 5-60 (5d12) hp damage (half damage if the save is made). Although the draknor is not damaged by its own heat ray, neither can it heal itself by striking itself with this ray.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: A draknor spends the first part of its life on the Prime Material plane. It is not known how draknor eggs arrive here, but it may be inferred that an adult draknor travels to this plane to place its eggs in secluded spots. In its egg form, a draknor is defenseless, but it soon hatches into the larval form and begins to search for food. Draknor are never encountered except singly and are always found underground. Once fully grown, the draknor migrates to the para-elemental plane of Magma to live out the rest of its life. Not much is known about adult draknor, as they have never been seen on this plane. These adults are certain to be much more powerful than their larvae, although exact details are up to the individual DM.
ECOLOGY: The draknor begins life as a 2 ft.-long egg with no forms of attack or defense. The egg has an armor class of 8 and can be destroyed very quickly and safely. After a year of growth, the egg has expanded to a length of 20' and is ready to hatch.
To grow to adulthood, the draknor larva that emerges from the egg must find a source of continual heat within two weeks or it will die. To accomplish this, the immobile draknor uses a set of 30 burrowing tentacles that snake through the ground to find pockets of molten rock. Once this magma is located, the draknor begins to grow again, gaining 1 hp every other day (starting with a total of 100). As soon as it reaches a total of 160 hp, the draknor is mature and migrates to the para-elemental plane of Magma. The great vortex of energy created by its leaving usually transforms the area into a flaming volcanic region.
Although draknor are highly intelligent, they cannot (or choose not to) communicate with other life forms. Due to their destructive life cycles, they are hunted down as soon as their presence becomes known. Although draknor eat mainly heat, they are capable of digesting both organic and inorganic substances. Just how these substances are used in draknor metabolism is not clear, although many sages hypothesize that the draknor gain both their intelligence and sensory faculties from these sources.
Source: Dungeon Magazine #24, "Thunder Under Needlespire", James Jacobs, p. 59-60.
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Shade
Monster Junkie
By the way, I'd say a conversion of this one is a shoo-in for inclusion in the Creature Catalog in Dragon Magazine. First, check out the author. 
Second, note that Erik Mona mentioned that this was the first adventure from Dungeon he ever ran, and is quite nostalgic about it.
Second, note that Erik Mona mentioned that this was the first adventure from Dungeon he ever ran, and is quite nostalgic about it.
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BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Shade said:
heehee
Whoo yeah, that’s an epic level creature allright!
And I didn’t realize that James Jacobs did this one… hmm, you think it might help that he is now the editor of the magazine?
(does it count as sucking up to submit this and the ulitharid, even if I didn’t consciously realize at the time that these were his creations?) some preliminary stats for the draknor:
Draknor
Gargantuan (Aberration? Outsider?) (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 20d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 0 ft
Armor Class: 27 (-4 size, +X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+X
Attack: X
Full Attack: 2 claws +X melee (3d6+X) and 4 tentacles +X melee (2d4+X)
Space/Reach: 20 ft/20 ft
Special Attacks: breath weapon, constrict, earthquakes, heat, improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: alien mind, damage reduction X/X, darkvision 60 ft, fast healing 3, healing from fire, immune to mind-affecting effects, immunity to electricity and poison, resistance to acid X, spell resistance X, vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 14?, Wis 25?, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: 7
Environment: Elemental Plane of Fire?
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: X
Level Adjustment: ---
Shade
Monster Junkie
I got volumes 2 and 3 of Aqua Teen Hunger Force for my birthday, so I watched quite a few of them recently.BOZ said:heehee
It sure is.BOZ said:
It might help a little bit.BOZ said:And I didn’t realize that James Jacobs did this one… hmm, you think it might help that he is now the editor of the magazine?
I don't think it counts as sucking up. In fact, I'll bet that he's been anxiously awaiting the updating of his "babies" to 3E.First off, I'm torn on the aberration vs. outsider debate. Looking at the descriptions of the two types...
...it definitely meets all criteria for aberration. It does have a bit of the essence of another plane, so it could also be an outsider. My gut says go with aberration, and if we are ever brave (or crazy) enough to stat out the mature draknor, they'd be outsiders. If we do go with aberration, we'll definitely want the Extraplanar subtype.Monster Manual said:
Is 20 HD enough? I'm thinking back to the archfiend conversions, where it was revealed that you divide the hp by 4.5 to get the HD. Dividing 146 by 4.5 yields 32 HD, and 100 divided by 4.5 is 22. Just a thought.
For environment, since we don't have the Paraelemental Plane of Magma as an option, I'd follow the magma paraelemental and go with Elemental Plane of Earth and Elemental Plane of Fire.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
Shade said:
Aberration (Extraplanar) would not be wrong.
Shade said:
Sure, we could go higher. All the way to 32 if you really want?
Shade said:
Do you want both? I was thinking the plane of Fire might be enough. That way they all come from the same place. Or maybe Earth would be better.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Yeah, that just seems the right fit.BOZ said:Aberration (Extraplanar) would not be wrong.
How about we start 'em at 22, with advancement range to 32. After that, it is presumed that they become "adults". <shivers at the thought>BOZ said:
Yeah, I like both. I wish they'd included the Paraelemental planes in 3E, but since they didn't this signifies that they can exist on both Earth and Fire, and probably mostly on the borders of the two.BOZ said:
Do we give them the Earth and Fire subtypes as well?
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